Better Off Ted
It may be just another workplace comedy, but darned if it isn’t one of the better ones out there
Tags: Misc DVD 2009 Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 14th, 2009
Better Off Ted is funny. That’s the bottom line, and the measure of any success for a comedy series. Currently there seems to be a new upswing in the quality and quantity of the half hour sitcom on television, which is where Better Off Ted comes in. Starring a few recognizable faces (but no major stars), the series is a typical workplace comedy, but takes into account some of the changes in society and business to present something that works well.
Ted (Jay Harrington) is the head of a research and development team and the mega-corporation Veridian Dynamics. The company winds up being a character throughout the series, which provides a good chunk of the comedy, as both foil as well as setting of corporate culture. At times the face of the company is represented by Veronica (Portia de Rossi), Ted’s boss. Complicating matters, at least for Ted, is the fact that the two of them had an affair. Rounding out the main cast are the scientists Phil and Lem (Jonathan Slavin and Malcolm Barrett) and Linda (Andrea Anders) who works in the testing department.
Most of the plots revolve around company work, though there are a couple of instances where the action moves away from Veridian Dynamics and into people’s homes. Mostly when this happens, it is Ted’s house that we see, and his daughter Rose (Isabella Acres). Rose may be only 9 years old, but is wise beyond her years. Part of the reason for this may be due to the fact that she and Ted were abandoned by her mother (Ted’s wife).
One of the standout episodes in this mid-season replacement series of 13 episodes (which has since been renewed for a second season) include Ted bringing Rose to work because of daycare issues. We see the typical workplace shenanigans take on a new twist with the addition of a young girl. Veronica appropriates her to aid in firing various employees for example.
Another great episode is where Veridian Dynamics has a new “green” initiative and Linda wants to do something to help by incorporating a rooftop garden. Unfortunately, the company-wide initiative is fake and only exists on paper as a public relations stunt. It’s too late, however, as Linda is already well underway with plans for her garden – including purchasing some plants with corporate money. This leads to one of the other running themes of the series, the attraction between Ted and Linda. To not disappoint Linda, he moves some money around from different projects, creating a fake project to justify the expenditures. This leads to a comedy of errors where the fake project becomes all the rage at Veridian Dynamics.
There are a couple of things that don’t sit right, however. One of the biggest is the last episode, where Veronica is “exposed” as leading a double life. While the concept is good, the execution of logic doesn’t quite work. Another is Veronica’s hairstyle is supposedly appropriated from Linda, which also doesn’t quite work logically.
Still, despite these problems in logic, for the most part Better Off Ted comes across as one of the better offerings in the genre. The “single camera” setup without a laugh track allows for the stories to unfold naturally. We also get to see how corporate culture has changed over the years, even though there has been a resurgence in the workplace comedy in recent years (The Office, 30 Rock, Scrubs, etc.).
Disappointingly, there are no special features on this DVD set of the first season of Better Off Ted. It would have been nice to have at one episode have a commentary by the people involved in creating the show about how the various corporate themes are explored. Heck even an interview with the series creator where he explains where the title comes from would have been nice. Oh well. Still, Better Off Ted is a well done show that spoofs corporate culture in a way that we haven’t seen in a while.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Funny + Small cast of characters keeps the focus where it belongs |
8.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- No special features (even a 3 minute interview with the creator explaining where the title comes from would be nice) - A couple of "out of character" story points |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| A very well done workplace comedy that spoofs corporate culture very well. | |
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Tags: Misc DVD 2009
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Dec 14th, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
